"A rose by any other name," we are told, "would smell as sweet." But what of a specimen that has more about it of beast than beauty? For a long while, the humble alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula), commonly known to frequent many backwaters of TX, AR, and LA, was considered variously a trash fish, a monster, an aggressive attacker of swimmers and fishermen, and an efficient consumer of more sought after sport fish species, like white bass (or sand bass), rapidly depleting their numbers. As with many stories about things that seem a little fearful or menacing, it turns out gar have an undeservedly bad rap.

First, the range of the creature: alligator gar actually live throughout much of the southeast U.S., as far west as OK and TX, plus as far north as the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri river basins. To the south, they can be found in drainages well into Mexico.

Because gar in general have been around since the days of dinosaurs and indeed look like and are among the more primitive types of fish, they can be mistaken for dinosaurs themselves.

Less enlightened policies prevailed for several decades. In many places, only dead alligator gar were regarded as good ones. Special electrical devices were used with official sanction to lure and kill them. Game and fish department boats would carry the charge equipment and try to jolt the bottom dwelling creatures through the water with 200 volts.

A program of trying to eradicate alligator gar had been promoted based on several myths. Here are some facts:

1. Though accidents may happen when fishermen are pulling these big, toothy, still living creatures with sharp, bony scales into a boat, alligator gar do not intend to attack humans, whether they are swimming or fishing. They go after smaller fish, fowl, and other water or marsh animals they can swallow.

2. Alligator gar do not take significant numbers of game fish such as white bass or catfish. They are prone to staying on or near the bottom of a stream, lake, or river and mainly eat what comes near them there, which is not a common behavior of bass. They are much more likely to eat rough fish like shad and Asian carp. There are other varieties of gar, for instance the smaller spotted gar, that have been noted to chase bass fry, but it is as incorrect to lump alligator gar in with these as it is to kill all snakes because a few U.S. species are venomous.

3. Alligator gar can as adults get as big as sharks, and they look like they have been around since bygone eras: for instance, they have armor and double rows of sharp teeth. However, though the fossil record shows alligator gar coexisted with creatures of the Cretaceous period over 100 million years ago, they are not actually dinosaurs.

4. While fishermen may not wish to deal with their bones and hard scales to get at it, the flesh of alligator gar is firm and reportedly very tasty. They are not trash fish. Fishermen should know, however, that in some areas, consumption of these fish is prohibited because they are being protected so their numbers can increase and/or because the fish in those areas are contaminated by pollutants. In addition, their eggs are poisonous to humans.

Recognizing that the species is actually good for a more natural ecology, U.S. states where they are found are limiting their hunting or fishing. In the Lone Star State, some bow hunting and angler fishing are allowed, and there are a number of enthusiasts keen on these type adventures. The largest alligator gar successfully caught in TX to date was an eight-foot, 279 pound "monster fish" from Liberty County, near Houston, TX. Prior to the current sanctions against much fishing in other states, though, bigger gar catches were recorded, including one that weighed 327 pounds in waters near Vicksburg, MS. In the 1930s, a giant alligator gar was caught by bow hunting in the Saint Francis River, AR. It weighed 350 pounds.

Particularly because of the mushrooming numbers of invasive species, destructive to native fish, such as Asian carp which are more readily a prey of alligator gar, the latter fish is once again regarded as a valued part of the ecosystem. However, understanding that there may still be misconceptions about alligator gar, such that they are being killed senselessly, lately there have been legitimate moves toward associating them more with dinosaurs, as the latter are regarded as cool, and so helping folks think of alligator gar as especially worthy of conservation. If in the process we inappropriately call them "dinosaur fish," what is the real harm?